Areas of Interest

Enemy at the Gates Production DelaysAs the German army invaded the Soviet Union in 1940 as part of Operation Barbarossa, Soviet industry lurched into overdrive and produced masses of material to outfit millions of troops tasked with pushing back the invasion.

Then, under an agreement with Hitler (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact), the Soviet Union invaded:

** Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia), June 1940** Moldova, July 1940** Poland (in coordination with Hitler), September 1939, just over two weeks after Germany invaded. The Germans and Russians then held a joint parade after the Battle of Brest-Litovsk on 17 September.

Of course, the western allies only declared war on Germany and, due to the practical reality on the ground, Russia was allowed to keep eastern Poland after the war.

Isn't it strange that Britain and France declared war on Germany because of the latter's invasion of Poland, yet did nothing when the Soviet Union Also invaded Poland in 1939, and in 1944 (I guess this was OK as they were on their way to Berlin but wouldn't let British and US forces help the Warsaw uprising), and let the RusComs keep it after the war.

On the contrary, the Soviet Unions invasion of Poland and Finland really hurt their relationship with Western powers, as did their military adventures in the East. The West's impression of the USSR as a bullying superpower willing to invade neighbors for no other reason than land grabs is what largely shaped the Cold War landscape after 1945.

Let's face it, the reason the western allies aligned themselves with Russia during WW2 was because when Germany invaded Russia, the "enemy of my enemy is my friend." An excellent example of Realpolitik.

The 1939 invasion of Finland was also part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. which is why Germany stayed silent when it happened.

The reason nobody declared war on the USSR on, or because of, 17th September 1939 was that there was no declaration of war and the Soviets claimed to be moving to protect ethnic Ukrainians and Belarussians and Rydz-Smigly issued orders to fall back and only fight if directly attacked.

Further, British guarantees to Poland specified that they were against Germany only.

The French dumped them the way they'd dumped the Czechoslovakians in 1938. Though, to be fair, there was little they could have done for the Poles.